Author Archives: John

We were super excited to host Madison’s chapter of World Create Day, an international event dreamed up by Hackaday. We had several electronics projects going, a “flailing arm wild and wavy guy” costume being sewn up, 3D printing, and some project design work. Check out the article on the worldwide turnout over on Hackaday!…

One of our prop-makers, Luke, recently made a Skyrim Steel Helmet, from several thicknesses of EVA foam, slices of PVC pipe, and painted with acrylics. The total project took around 12 hours, thanks to design templates provided free by Bill Doran of Punished Props.

Take your costuming and cosplay to the next level with advice from our amazing members!

The Metal Shop is looking pretty spiffy these days…click through for a 360 photo sphere. New TIG and MIG welders have arrived, along with a plasma cutter, a bench full of grinders, a large moveable welding table, and a metal chop saw to sit alongside the horizontal band saw and blacksmithing equipment. On the machining side, the giant metal drill press has been added to the Tormach CNC mill, and manual lathe and mill. Come check them out!

A hit at Milwaukee’s Maker Faire, Alex built this two-headed automated fortune-teller, combining the penny arcade amusement of the early 20th century with modern Maker technology: an Arduino microcontroller. The project uses a lazy Susan turntable powered by a DC gearmotor, an Arduino Uno, four photo interrupter sensors, and a thermal printer to tell your fortune. Insert a coin, and either the Love or Money fortune-teller will rotate forward while your fortune is being printed.

Well that was a blast! With a giant Gameboy and a flowery pedal car, we launched foam rockets, talked to many hundreds of visitors, and were amazed by all the sights. With medieval knights fighting 8′ Tesla Coils, adults racing kiddie-cars, a huge clothing make-o-rama, a plethora of new products and handmade goods, it was mind-boggling. If you missed it, check out Madison’s version in May 2017, or next fall in Milwaukee again! We’ll see you there!…

At the invitation of the White House (!), our co-founder, Karen Corbeill, attended a Nation of Makers meeting on August 24th. The over 180 attendees (and 100 more on the waiting list) were all founders, owners, board members, and organizers of makerspaces, hackerspaces, and fab labs across the country, including representatives from Hawaii and Alaska. The all-day affair featured keynote speakers, lighting talks, and breakouts sessions aimed to inspire and unite this ambitious group in an attempt to pool resources and knowledge fueling the momentum of the maker movement.
In five series of breakout sessions, these makers were encouraged to choose from a variety of topics to gain or offer knowledge gathered from years of experience of being involved in the maker community. Topics included involvement with local & state government, grants and funding, methods of incorporating and promoting education, research, software & hardware, training models, makerspace growth issues, and unexpected details.
The final breakout session of the day broke the group into their local regions, the Bodgery included in the Midwest/Mountain West group. This may have been, by far, …

Chris, a frequent guest and part of our CNC Team, recently built a headphone stand with an integrated DAC and tube amp. It lights up in 8 individual zones which are all RGB controllable over DMX (theater lighting control), and can be set to pulse, strobe, etc. It is super rad.

Well that was fun! Thanks to an intrepid crew of Bodgers, we talked to an amazing river of visitors, gave away hundreds of cards, demonstrated tools and ran up high scores on the new 4-player arcade. We met a ton of great people, enjoyed all the booths at the Faire, and are looking forward to seeing many new faces around the shop. Thanks, Monona Terrace for hosting this!…

Our co-founder Karen Corbeill made this killer Rey cosplay for Penguicon in Detroit. “The vest, shirt, and pants were modified and tailored from found clothing. The shoulder bag was made from scratch from found materials from an apron, 4 placemats, and webbed belts. Staff is 3/4″ EMT with 3D printed and lasercut pieces, strips of muslin and brown cotton. Straps were purchased on Amazon. The leather buckles for staff were hand-sewn with snaps added.”

In this week’s edition of The Isthmus newspaper, the Bodgery was featured in a great article on our “All Inclusive” dynamic. Whether expert or newbie, crafter or gear-head, we aim to provide a space where everyone can feel at home. Pick up a copy, or view it online!…

When We’re Open

Who We Are

We’re a non-profit organization providing the tools, workspace, and guidance to people of all ages who want to make things. Whether learning a tool, honing a craft, building a business, or finding a creative group of makers – this is your place to build skills and community!

Our Tools

We have a full woodworking shop, welding and blacksmithing, a sewing studio, 3D printing, electronics lab, laser cutting/engraving, a machine shop, prop making and leather work, CNC milling and routing, screen printing, auto repair, and a giant wall of yarn.